Mead

As though I really needed another hobby. Well much to the admirable Flopper's chagrin I have decided to try my hand at making mead. Now you may not know this but I am an absolute fiend when it comes honey. I love the stuff; I'd have a dozen varieties at a time if Flopper would let me. Fortunately for my small pocket book he does not. So in the grand tradition I am going to make mead.
I went to the local hobby store (devoted characteristically for Minnesota to beer by in large) and spent ten dollars on a gallon jug, an air lock, two packages of yeast, and a 4 foot piece of tubing.

Apparently you boil the honey into the water at a ratio of about 2 cups honey to 9 cups water. After adding various and sundry things , ( this is the joy of mead you can toss in whatever ) dried blueberry , raspberries, cinnamon, and nutmeg in my case, you then allow the concoction to simmer for twenty minutes and pull the scum off the top, apparently this is wax from the honey.
Siphon the mixture into your jug and let it cool for a few hours; then add proofed yeast and let it sit for a month or so.
I get to bottle it then and let the bottles sit for another month; I think I'll get maybe ten standard sized bottles out of the gallon. It seems most people make mead in 5 gallon quantities but that would easily be 30 dollars of honey (at least for good honey) and I'm just not there yet. We'll see how this turns out in june. Making alcohol is a long standing tradition in both of our familes so perhaps if his work Christmas presents can be arranged. : )


~ Eikon